A former California 'Teacher of the Year' sobbed in court as she admitted to sexually abusing her students.
Jacqueline Ma, 35, has been in custody since she was first arrested at Lincoln Acres Elementary in San Diego back in 2023.
Prosecutors claimed that she had engaged in sexual relationships with two students, who were 11 and 12 years old at the time.
Two months before her trial was due to take place, Ma changed her plea to guilty on two counts of lewd acts with a child under the age of 14 with duress on Tuesday.
She also admitted to a lewd act involving the second child and another count of possessing material containing a minor engaged in or simulating sexual conduct.
A baggy-eyed Ma sobbed heavily alongside her attorney, letting out a low 'guilty' as the charges were read out.
In 2022, the former sixth-grade teacher at Lincoln Acres Elementary was one of five educators named Teacher of the Year in San Diego County.
Just seven months after receiving the award, she was arrested after the parent of the 12-year-old reached out to police to report a suspected inappropriate relationship.
A baggy eyed Ma sobbed heavily alongside her attorney, letting out a low 'guilty' as the charges were read out
Prosecutors claimed that she had engaged in sexual relationships with two students, who were 11 and 12 years old at the time
Ma is said to have had a months-long relationship with the boy and sent him explicit pictures of her asking him to do the same back.
The San Diego Tribune reported that during a hearing in December 2023, detectives read aloud messages between the two, in which Ma professed her love for the boy.
The outlet reported that the child also wrote: 'Sometimes I think you don’t understand that I am a kid still and this is my only real relationship.'
As detectives continued to investigate Ma, they discovered a second victim in the case.
Authorities had said that Ma used her position to coerce the two into behavior that 'was beyond inappropriate, beyond wrong'.
Speaking after the hearing on Tuesday, deputy district attorney Drew Hart said: 'Obviously she’s taken responsibility and not gone to trial.
'The consequences of trial would have been more significant. With this resolution, we’re sparing the victims from having to come in and testify in front of a jury.
'From our office’s perspective, it was very important that these be charged as not just sex offenses, but sex offenses done under duress and that’s what she plead to.
Ma is said to have had a months long relationship with the boy and sent him explicit pictures of herself, asking him to do the same back
The 35-year-old has been in custody since she was first arrested at Lincoln Acres Elementary in San Diego back in 2023
'This was very significant to us, not just because she won an award, but because of who she was in the community.
'We think this plea deal sends a message to the community, not just about sex offenses on children, but when you leverage a position of trust, when you leverage good faith with parents in the community and you do this to their children, there will be significant penalties to pay.'
As part of her agreement, the remainder of the charges were dismissed by the DA's office.
Ma is due back in court on May 9 and is expected to be sentenced to 30 years to life behind bars, according to Fox5.
A blurb about her award reads: 'She considers the relationships she maintains with her students her greatest accomplishments.
'She has spearheaded a schoolwide STEM improvement plan, bringing in outside organizations, including the Salk Institute, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the Fleet Science Center and the San Diego Zoo, and providing opportunities for students to interact with professionals doing the work to better visualize a path to a rewarding STEM career.'
Lincoln Acres Elementary School Principal Kathy Melanese said in the blurb: 'I can't imagine a more qualified and passionate educator to receive this honor.
'The creativity, initiative, collaboration, and 100 percent dedication Ms. Ma has for her students and the school is immeasurable. When students leave Ms. Ma's room, they are more confident students, more engaged citizens and more thoughtful adolescents who know they are loved.'
